Seminole man found guilty in federal child porn case

A 57-year-old man might faces decades in federal prison after he was found guilty of possession and distribution of child pornography.

Michael Meister of Seminole was found guilty Monday and could get a maximum of 40 years, according to a release from acting U.S. Attorney A. Lee Bentley III for the Middle District of Florida. Meister’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for Dec. 19. Meister was indicted on Aug. 11, 2011.

On July 30, 2007, Meister took his Dell laptop to a repair shop in Pinellas County and asked for some files to be moved to a new one, according to facts at his trial. The computer technician called law enforcement after he saw what he thought was child pornography. Authorities got a warrant to search the computer and an analysis of the hard drive found that Meister knowingly possessed and distributed child pornography.

This case was investigated by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in conjunction with Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations Child Exploitation Task Force.